Third Time's a Charm
by raykoRavenclaw
Summary: A oneshot about Tonks and her clumsy attempts to get a first kiss out of the shy Remus Lupin. Set back in OotP. Please r&r!


**Third Time's a Charm**

Disclaimer: don't own nothing on fanfiction. (Yes, I know that's a double negative).

A/N: A special thanks to my temporary beta (I say temporary, because she's only agreed to edit this story, sigh), Lea, who gave me both her ideas and supreme editing skills.

A one-shot about Tonks and her clumsy attempts to get a first kiss out of Remus Lupin.

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**Third Time's a Charm**

_.o. _

_First Try_

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As Nymphadora Tonks entered the kitchen of Grimmulad Place, a strange gleam in her dark eyes, she locked them on her target and set her plan into motion. Sitting at the table, drinking his coffee and completely oblivious was former Hogwarts professor, Remus Lupin.

Tonks had fancied him for a while—for the past couple of months actually, right around the time they first met; only back then, it had been a feeble crush. It had been her cousin Sirius, who introduced them, right after she found out he wasn't the guilty convicted killer she had thought he was. She had always liked him as a child when he came to visit her mother, and then he had introduced Remus, one of his famous Marauder friends who seemed almost too reserved to be one. Still, by the end of her first encounter, she found him to be a pleasant gentleman, much quieter and mature than her cousin. She liked the contrast though, and found herself wanting to bring out the marauder that she had been told so much about. By the end of a week, she was determined to see his mischievous side. The more she got to know him, the more she liked, and now, months later, she had decided it was time to make her move.

The question was, how did one go about making a move on him? He seemed the type to be shy about it, and she figured he wouldn't make a move of his own. Right, it was up to her. Was she, or was she not, a twenty-three-year-old vixen? So all right, maybe she wasn't every man's fantasy, though she very well could be with her metamorphagus powers. But what would the point be, exactly, in getting men to like you when you were someone else? No, she would lure the professor, and use her own appeal to do it. The question was, how?

That's when she finally decided one night, she had no choice. She'd have to spring it up on him, and hope for the best. And so, the next day, she found herself in Grimmauld kitchen, bright and early in the morning, determined to kiss him.

_You can do this_, she coached herself. _You're an Auror, you've braved through worse_.

His back was turned to her, as he sat by the table, drinking in his coffee, and looking over the _Daily Prophet_. From this angle, she had the advantage, he wouldn't see it coming. Perhaps if she just flung her arms around him, and dropped a kiss on his neck—

Right, this was it. She inched towards him slowly, knowing that if she hurried she'd inevitably trip over something, and make a loud crash. No, she had to be sneaky silent.

She was right behind him now, her arms slowly coming around him—

"'Morning." Sirius Black said happily, walking into the kitchen.

Tonks jumped back and tumbled to the floor in her surprise.

"You alright there?" Sirius asked, curiously looking over at her.

Lupin turned his head and saw her sprawled on the floor just feet behind him. "Tonks?"

"Fine, just fine." She sighed, pushing herself up off the ground. "Just slipped on a bit of wet floor."

"I see." Sirius nodded with a smirk. "Well, come sit at the table and have some breakfast. I'm sure Moony could use your company."

Lupin gave a little cough as he sipped from his coffee, but kept his eyes on his morning paper.

For her part, Tonks glared at Sirius, mouthing, _shut your trap_. It would do no good, for Sirius to tip Lupin off with his suggestive comments. He had already ruined her surprise attack once; she wouldn't let him ruin it again.

Sirius just smiled on, in his cheeky way, bringing a plate of buttered toast to the table and offering some to her, as she came to sit down next to him.

She accepted the toast, and as he passed it to her, he leaned over and said in a whisper, "I saw what you tried to do just now, by the way."

The shriek he emitted a second later, as Tonks foot came to stomp over his under the table, was warrant enough for Lupin to pull his newspaper out of his face and study both of them for the moment. Tonks was looking down at her toast innocently enough, and Sirius was rubbing his sore foot.

Shrugging to himself, he took another sip of his coffee and turned the page of the _Daily Prophet_. He knew better than to ask or even try to understand something between that particular pair of cousins.

When it seemed safe again, Tonks shot Sirius a death glare. It didn't matter though, she told herself, whether he knew or not and was going to tease her about it. She still had a plan to work out, and Merlin be damned, is she wasn't going to get a kiss out of Lupin by the end of the day!

_.o._

_Second Try_

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Breakfast had been hours ago. Tonks had to go back to the office, even though she didn't have work that day. It apparently didn't excuse Kingsley from owling her to come in and pick up some scrolls she needed to work on at home. So she went to pick them up, but instead of going home, she went back to Grimmuald. After all, she had something more important to do at the moment. Something a bunch of tedious scrolls could wait for.

"Good to see you back." Sirius said in his annoying _I-know-all_ tone of voice, as she met him in the hall.

"Well, it _is_ my day off, and what better thing to do than visit my favourite cuz?"

"I don't know, maybe stalk a lonely werewolf?"

Tonks forgot to deny it, and instead defended. "He is not _lonely_."

Sirius shrugged. "Thirty-five year old single man, living half the time with fellow, not so pleasant werewolves, and scorned in the wizard society. Sure, he's lonely."

"He's got us as friends."

Sirius shook his head. "You know what I mean Tonks."

It was her turn to shrug. "Maybe he won't be lonely for long."

Sirius let out a bark of laugher. "I knew it! You're going after him, aren't you? Well, he's quite set on being a bachelor Tonks, I wish you luck."

"Don't worry, I've got… a plan." She hesitated to tell him, but figured Sirius already knew as much. "So tell me, where is our lonely werewolf, currently?"

"In the study, reading."

"Well, after you ruined my morning attempts, I think it's time I tried again." She smiled defiantly, and passed him in the hall.

As she approached the study, she tried to block out the sounds of Sirius laughing again in the distance.

The door to the study was half open, and Tonks was able to slip through it without making a noise, a miracle in itself. The ex-professor was sitting on a comfortable-looking single-person couch, with a dusty old book propped up in front of his face. Now was her chance to surprise him with seduction, to catch him off guard and arouse in him enough feeling to permit a kiss.

She began to saunter towards him, keeping her body movement slow and purposeful. She prayed he'd glance up and catch the way her hips swayed, the naughty smile that played about her face. She felt the flirtation and charm seep out of her skin; she was trying so hard to look tempting. But he hadn't even looked up, hadn't even noticed the very willing witch sauntering up to him. With another meaningful step, she reached up to curl a bit of hair around her finger, the way she saw girls do on the muggle telly. Then she realized her hair was in pink spikes, and she was not capable of doing so. Unless, she quickly changed her hair's length—

That's when she collided with the stack of books that had been placed near one of the couches. She had been so busy concentrating on looking sexy, she had forgotten to maintain gracefulness. The books all toppled over, and just as Lupin was about to look up, Tonks did the first thing she could think of, and that as disapparate out of the room.

Lupin looked around the room, wondering what had caused the books to fall over, and more importantly, why he had heard the familiar popping sound of someone disapparting. Had someone just been here? Oh well, no one was there now, and it was most likely Kreacher trying to cause trouble, or worse, play mind games with him. He turned back to his book, choosing not to pay the least attention to what had just happened.

_.o._

_Third Try_

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Tonks had left Grimmauld and gone home to recuperate. She needed a better plan, simple as that. Sneaking up from behind on him hadn't worked, nor had trying to surprise him with seduction. Perhaps she needed to see him face to face, look into those eyes, grey as the moon, and lean forward and just do it. Would he try and pull away before she could? Well, if he did, then he obviously didn't fancy her back. Either way, she needed to know.

When she got to Grimmauld Place again it was nighttime, and she realized this was her last chance of the day. She found Sirius and Lupin in the drawing room, discussing the war, and Voldemort. She came into the room and sat down on the couch next to Lupin.

"Hey cuz, you staying the night?" Sirius asked as he saw her.

"Probably not, I'm just visiting again." She responded.

He nodded and stood up from his seat. "Well, I have a letter from Harry I need to go and reply to, if you two will excuse me." He walked over to the door, and seeing that Lupin wasn't looking, he gave Tonks a provocative wink.

She couldn't resist rolling her eyes back as he exited the room. Right, so it was Remus and she, alone. This was good. This was what she wanted, what she needed to work with.

Then she realized Lupin was eyeing her curiously, as if waiting for her to say something,

But she didn't. Instead, she realized this was a perfect silent moment for her to make her move. Just as she began to lean towards him, he began to get up. His chest bumped into her head, and she retreated back in humiliation.

"Sorry." He began, a confused looking playing about his face. "I was just getting up to owl a letter myself."

"Oh yeah, to whom?" Tonks asked, rubbing her head and hoping he didn't notice she had just tried to kiss him.

"Dumbledore." He answered, walking over to a sealed parchment that lay on the writing desk against the wall. "I'm going back underground next week, but I have to give him my full report before I leave."

"Oh." She tried to keep the word emotionless, but she couldn't completely hide her disdain for what he was doing for the Order. It wasn't fair to him in the least.

"Could I help you, maybe?" She added, a second later, her voice over cheery.

"Help me?"

"Yes, owl the later." She got up from the couch. "I've really nothing else to do at the moment and I would love to help out." _Quick babbling on like that Tonks_, she scolded herself, but kept on smiling on the outside. "Perhaps you have any other mail to owl? I could help with that also."

"Oh, uh…alright." Lupin looked down at her as she approached him, unable to make out her zealous behaviour.

"But before that, maybe I could…" She reached him, and looked up with a glimmer in her eyes. "Maybe we could…" She went up on her tiptoes, trying to reach his face as she leaned in, and tripped on a piece of parchment left on the floor by the desk. She clutched at his waist, and ending up knocking his wand out of his pocket, which fell to the floor and emitted a bright blue streak of light. The streak of light exploded midair in front of Tonks, and she found her face covered in soot.

"Excuse me, will you?" She breathed out deeply, turned away from him and hurrying out of the room.

As she passed the couch, her foot happened to step over a lose end of her robe, causing her to once again to tumble. Next thing she knew, she found herself stretched-out on the couch, looking up at the ceiling.

_Great, just great, you clumsy oaf. You poor excuse for a woman. Now how are you gonna get that bloody kiss?_

And then from above she saw Lupin leaning over the couch, wiping her face clean from the soot with his tattered sleeve. "You alright?"

"Just fine." She grumbled, not able to meet his eye.

When she heard his light laughter however, she looked back up at him.

"If you wanted a kiss Tonks, all you had to do was ask."

She opened her mouth as if to say something but was prevented of doing so, as Remus Lupin had leaned further in, encasing her mouth with his own.

And as Tonks was finally getting her first kiss from the former professor, she began to wonder what she'd have to do to get her second.

Oh the possibilities.

The End.

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A/N: hope it was enjoyed, if it was, give me and my beta a happy review, would ye? 

BTW, yes I know one cannot apparate and diapparate within Grimmauld's walls, but I had to bend the rule for the story. Am I forgiven?


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